1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for producing in a fully-automated process bread or pastry having an excellent quality.
2. Prior Art
U.S. Ser. No. 213,753 (filed on June 30, 1988), which is the earlier application of the assignee of this application, discloses a method for producing bread of a good quality from frozen dough. In this method the dough is stretched while it is subjected it to vibrations so that the dough can be stretched without imparting pressure exceeding the yield point of its elasticity. Thus the gluten network structure is unharmed. Then the dough is frozen to preserve it. After a desired preservation period, the dough is baked. Since the dough does not become deflated, but expands further during the baking step, puffy and tasty bread results. In this method, the stretching step is usually performed by a stretching apparatus like that in FIGS. 3, 4, and 7, in the earlier application. Conventionally, an operator manually regulates the thickness and width of the dough mass and then provides it to the apparatus. Otherwise, the dough mass is supplied from a dough supply device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,636 discloses a typical stretching machine suitable for the above-mentioned method and a dough supply device. As shown in FIG. 1 of this patent, dough is supplied from the hopper to the stretching apparatus.
However, since the dough adheres to the wall adjacent the exit, making the exit port smaller, it readily stops at the exit port of the hopper, and it is difficult to supply the dough at a substantially constant flow rate. Further, since the dimensions of the dough are not regulated before it is conveyed into the space between the roller mechanism and the conveyors of the stretching apparatus, the dough is subjected to excessive pressure. If part of the dough supplied to the stretching apparatus is too thick, a turbulent flow is generated in it when it enters the space. Especially, in the case of bread dough, its gluten structure tends to be destroyed due to this pressure. Therefore, the dough pieces made of such damaged dough become readily deflated during the baking step and do not have a good quality. The same situation arises in other types of dough supply devices such as flow-rate regulating machines.
U.S. Ser. No. 175,103 (filed on Mar. 30, 1988), which is an earlier application of the assignee of this application, discloses an apparatus and method for supplying dough from a hopper to a stretching apparatus while the dimensions of the dough are regulated. Further, in this method no excessive stress that might harm the gluten network structure of the dough is imparted to the dough.
Therefore, the inventor of this application conceived that a method for producing dough for bread or pastry in which the dough is automatically supplied and stretched without harming the gluten network structure of the dough can be provided by combining the features of U.S. Ser. Nos. 213,753 and 175,103.